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Moses Fails on the Border of Canaan
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Moses Distrusted God
Moses showed distrust of God. “Shall we bring water?” he
questioned, as if the Lord would not do what He promised. “You did
not believe Me,” the Lord declared to the two brothers, “to hallow
Me in the eyes of the children of Israel.” When the water failed,
their own faith in God’s promise had been shaken by the rebellion
of the people. The first generation had been condemned to die in the
wilderness because of their unbelief. Would the next generation also
fail?
Exhausted and discouraged, Moses and Aaron did not try to
resist the flow of popular feeling. They might have explained the
situation to the people in such a way that would help them to bear
this test. They might have stopped the complaining before asking
God to do the work for them. What a series of evil events might
have been prevented!
The rock, a symbol of Christ, had been struck once, as Christ was
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to be offered once. Now, Moses needed only to speak to the rock, as
we have only to ask for blessings in the name of Jesus. By hitting the
rock a second time, Moses destroyed the meaning of this beautiful
symbol of Christ. More than this, Moses and Aaron assumed power
that belongs only to God. The leaders of Israel should have used
this experience to impress the people with reverence for God and
to strengthen their faith in His power and goodness. When they
angrily cried, “Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” they
put themselves in God’s place, as though the power was within
themselves. Moses had lost sight of his Almighty Helper, and left
to himself, had marred his record by human weakness. The man
who might have stood firm and unselfish to the close of his work
had been overcome at last.
This time God did not pronounce judgments on those who had
so provoked Moses and Aaron—all the reproof fell on the leaders.
Moses and Aaron had felt that the wrong was against them, losing
sight of the fact that the complaining was not against them but against
God. Looking to themselves, they unconsciously fell into sin, and
failed to lead the people to see their guilt before God.
“The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not
believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel,